A liberation study on ultrafine South African coals

• Main Author: Buys, Irmtraud Erna
• Other Authors: Franzidis, Jean-Paul
• Format: Dissertation
• Language: English
• Published: University of Cape Town 2016
• Subjects: Chemical Engineering
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/11427/17704

Bibliography: pages 146-150. === South African coal mines generate large quantities of fines as a result of the increased use of mechanised mining methods. Generally, these fines are discarded. They do however contain relatively large proportions of high grade material, which provides a considerable incentive for their beneficiation. The increasing demand for low-ash and superlow- ash coals is an added price incentive for fines beneficiation. As coal is a highly heterogeneous substance, it is necessary, in order to optimize beneficiation processes, to have a good understanding of its liberation characteristics. The aim of this thesis is to extend the liberation study of Harris (1987) on Greenside (Witbank No.2 Seam) coal to finer sizes and to investigate the liberation characteristics of two other South African coals, one from the Rietspruit Colliery (Witbank Coalfield) and the other from the Grootegeluk Colliery (Waterberg Coalfield).